INDIA NEW ZEALAND EDUCATION COUNCIL
2013/14 call for proposals - funding for joint academic research
Background
In 2011 Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and John Key announced the India New Zealand
Education Council [INZEC] to enhance bilateral cooperation in higher education and research,
and in skills development and vocational education. INZEC is jointly chaired by the Indian
Minister for Human Resource Development and the New Zealand Minister for Tertiary
Education. The inaugural meeting was held in New Delhi in 2012.
Education New Zealand [ENZ] and the University Grants Commission [UGC] are two of the key
entities engaged in INZEC. ENZ is a government agency with responsibility for international
education. ENZ supports the New Zealand education sector to realise opportunities with
offshore partners.
UGC is a statutory body of the Government of India established by an Act of
Parliament in 1956 for coordination, determination and maintenance of standards
of university education
Applications
Under the auspices of INZEC, UGC and ENZ invite applications from Indian and New Zealand
academics seeking funding for joint research projects. These projects can be in any academic
discipline but must focus on one or more of the following themes:
1. Food security [including agriculture], history, social justice and social change
2. Community development and innovation
3. Creative and culture industries, tourism and the new leisure economy
4. Health
5. Environment and sustainability [including climate change and energy studies]
6. Indian diaspora in the South Pacific and the Antipodes
7. India-NZ trade relations and India’s foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific
8. Information security
9. Urban planning and development, urban-rural land use and related issues
The projects should be original and aspire to generate new knowledge which will be beneficial
to India and New Zealand.
No application will be considered for preliminary literature surveys or descriptive projects,
publication subsidies, database preparation or translation work.
Purpose
The purpose of this funding is to strengthen engagement and encourage closer collaboration in
academic research between Indian and New Zealand academics and institutions of tertiary
education and research. Each project must have at least two Principal Investigators [PI] – one
based in New Zealand and one in India. Projects should clearly exhibit this collaborative aspect
and indicate the potential for further collaborative research in future. 2
Application deadline
Applications should be submitted on or before 5pm, 28 March 2014. A soft copy should be sent
as an email attachment by one of the PIs to india@enz.govt.nz and ugcic2@gmail.com.
The project starting date must be on or before 1 June 2014 and the project must be completed
within 18 months of the start date.
Eligibility
Applications are open to any academic staff employed in a tertiary education institution or
recognised centre of academic research in New Zealand, and all public education
institutions in India which are eligible to be funded by UGC.
The New Zealand PI should be employed by a New Zealand tertiary education institution or
centre of academic research and should be a resident of New Zealand. Similarly the Indian PI
should be employed by an Indian university/institution as described above and should be a
resident of India.
Applications must follow the prescribed template and can be submitted by one of the PIs, with
documentary evidence of support from both the Indian and New Zealand participating
institutions.
Funding
The funding will be paid by UGC (to Indian institutions) and ENZ (to NZ institutions) as the
bilateral custodians of INZEC funding. The maximum funding available for each project from
each funding body is the equivalent of NZD50,000 (1NZD = 50 INR). Project budgets should
clearly articulate the funding split between the New Zealand (in NZD) and Indian (in INR)
institutions.
This may cover expenses for project related consumables [up to a maximum of 15% of the total
project budget], equipment [up to a maximum of NZD 2000], travel, accommodation, research
assistance, photocopying, workshops, and conferences.
International travel must be by reasonably priced economy class, and accommodation is to be
provided by the host institution at a reasonable cost.
Funding will not cover any cost of staff time associated with research, consultancy fees,
honorarium or any office or administrative overheads.
The budget should clearly indicate the expenses in INR and expenses in NZD. The actual
funding for a particular project will depend on the justification provided for the budget, and on
the availability of funding. A joint committee of the UGC and ENZ will provide final approval of
budgets and funding allocations. PIs will have to take prior approval from this committee for any
subsequent change in budgets.
The actual number of projects funded in a year will depend on the quality of applications and
availability of funding. 3
Selection criteria
Applications will be assessed using the following criteria:
A. Clear evidence of collaboration between two or more academics from two or more institutions
[with at least one from New Zealand and one from India], with supporting documentation from
the respective institutions for continuing support for the project.
B. Academic merit of the proposal demonstrated by:
C. Academic background of the applicant/s [curriculum vitae], relative to the opportunities
received [i.e. early career researchers will not be disadvantaged].
Selection process
There will be a three-tier selection process:
1. A preliminary selection will be undertaken by UGC and ENZ, ascertaining the eligibility of
each project proposal.
2. The short-listed applications will then be assessed by a multidisciplinary panel of Indian and
New Zealand academics.
3. The recommendations of the expert panel will be considered at a joint committee meeting of
UGC and ENZ, and the committee’s decision will be final. Committee members will include a
maximum of three representatives each from New Zealand and India.
Application
Applications must follow the template provided below. Any application not following the template
or exceeding the prescribed word limits will be automatically rejected. 4
Application template for joint research proposals
India New Zealand Education Council
A. Project title and brief description (maximum 100 words)
Please provide an appropriate title and a brief description of your project. This may be used in
future for publicity purposes.
B. Applicant Details:
Principal Investigator 1
First name:
Family name:
Academic position and title:
Department:
Institution:
Postal address:
Email:
Phone:
Fax:
Principal Investigator 2
First name:
Family name:
Academic position and title:
Department:
Institution:
Postal address:
Email:
Phone:
Fax:
Associate Investigator/s (if any)
First name:
Family name:
Academic position and title:
Department:
Institution:
Postal address:
Email:
Phone:
Fax:
C. Project area and research theme
Please indicate the area under which your application is being submitted. This could be Social
Sciences, Humanities, Engineering, Healthcare, Environmental Sciences etc. If it is cross
disciplinary, please mention all the subject areas being addressed.
Also indicate the thematic areas identified for this funding, that you are addressing in your
application. 5
D. Project overview (maximum 1000 words):
Please provide an overview of your research project, written in plain language, suitable for a
non-expert audience.
E. Technical aspects and methodology (maximum 500 words):
Please outline how you will achieve the research objectives outlined in the project overview.
Provide scientific and technical aspects of the proposed research, including methodology, to
demonstrate the research merit of the project.
F. Project outputs and outcome (maximum 500 words):
Please list the project outputs, e.g., publication of a book, chapter of a book, or journal article,
research report, design, exhibition, workshop etc.
For outcomes, please indicate the more general benefits of your project: How it can contribute
to the knowledge base of the specific area of research or improve New Zealand-India
educational ties.Also indicate how your project meets the criteria for this funding.
G. Research experience (maximum 500 words)
Briefly describe the research experience of the two PIs. Also attach detailed curriculum vitae’s
with lists of publications for all investigators.
H. Budget
Total amount applied for in NZD and INR
Please provide an approximate budget indicating expected expenditure under different heads,
e.g., travel, accommodation, research assistance, consumables [maximum 15%], equipment
[maximum NZD 2000] etc. Clearly indicate expenses to be incurred in INR and NZD, and
funding sought from both the NZ institution and the Indian institution. Please provide a brief
justification for each item of expenditure.
I. Timeline and milestones
Please provide your best estimates of start and likely completion dates for the project. The start
date for the project should be no later than 1 June 2014. A work-plan with tentative dates and
milestones must also be provided. Timing should also reconcile with your financial proposal and
availability of personnel at all stages of the project.
J. Attach the following documents:
1. Curriculum vitae for all researchers
2. Letters of support from the Indian and New Zealand host institutions.